NATO members have pledged to provide Ukraine with at least €40 billion in military aid over the next year in a declaration issued on the second day of a three-day summit in Washington.
The financial support fell short of the multi-annual commitment sought by the bloc’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, who said in his opening remarks at the event: “Support to Ukraine is not charity—it is in our own security interest.”
A declaration issued on Wednesday proclaimed NATO’s “unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine in the heroic defense of their nation,” promising further military integration with a view to “building a force capable of defeating Russian aggression today and deterring it in the future.” As part of the support package, Kyiv is to receive F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands as early as this summer, as well as increased air defenses. In wording that proved contentious, the declaration promised to continue to support Ukraine “on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.”
The alliance’s 32 member countries agreed to establish a unit to coordinate military aid to Ukraine as well as training for its armed forces as part of the enhanced integration process, describing these measures as “a bridge to Ukraine's membership in NATO.” The document noted that Kyiv had made “concrete progress” on reforms required by the bloc but that no formal membership invitation would be extended until all conditions had been met.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is a guest at the summit, held his first meeting with the U.K.’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, who assured him Britain’s change of government entailed “no change in support" for his embattled country.
A message to China
Wednesday’s declaration strengthened the alliance’s language on China, labeling it for the first time a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war on Ukraine, which Stoltenberg said was an important message to Beijing, while noting that NATO is not an organization that imposes sanctions. “At the end of the day, this will be for individual allies to make decisions, but I think the message we send from NATO from this summit is very clear,” he said. The declaration called on China as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to “cease all material and political support to Russia’s war effort,” including through the provision of weapons components. It also expressed concern over the country’s growing space capabilities and expanding nuclear arsenal and urged Beijing to “engage in strategic risk reduction discussions.” Beijing’s diplomatic mission to the EU responded angrily, calling on NATO to "stop hyping up the so-called China threat, and provoking confrontation and rivalry."
Biden under fire
At a gala dinner at the White House hosted by the Biden administration, the U.S. president called NATO “the greatest alliance the world has ever known,” but cautioned that it must keep moving forward to meet emerging challenges. "We cannot allow the alliance to fall behind," he said. The summit has been seen as a crucial test of Biden’s fitness to govern following a disastrous performance in his first televised debate against Republican rival Donald Trump in late June. Since then, he has come under increasing pressure from his own party to step aside in the race for November’s presidential election.
Many NATO members are anxious about the prospects of Trump returning to the Oval Office, as he has in the past talked of pulling the U.S. out of the alliance. But on Wednesday, the presumptive Republican nominee told Fox News he would not withdraw his country from the bloc while reiterating demands for NATO members to ramp up their defense spending. “I just want them to pay their bills,” he said. “We're protecting Europe. They take advantage of us very badly."
A declaration issued on Wednesday proclaimed NATO’s “unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine in the heroic defense of their nation,” promising further military integration with a view to “building a force capable of defeating Russian aggression today and deterring it in the future.” As part of the support package, Kyiv is to receive F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands as early as this summer, as well as increased air defenses. In wording that proved contentious, the declaration promised to continue to support Ukraine “on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.”
The alliance’s 32 member countries agreed to establish a unit to coordinate military aid to Ukraine as well as training for its armed forces as part of the enhanced integration process, describing these measures as “a bridge to Ukraine's membership in NATO.” The document noted that Kyiv had made “concrete progress” on reforms required by the bloc but that no formal membership invitation would be extended until all conditions had been met.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is a guest at the summit, held his first meeting with the U.K.’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, who assured him Britain’s change of government entailed “no change in support" for his embattled country.
A message to China
Wednesday’s declaration strengthened the alliance’s language on China, labeling it for the first time a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war on Ukraine, which Stoltenberg said was an important message to Beijing, while noting that NATO is not an organization that imposes sanctions. “At the end of the day, this will be for individual allies to make decisions, but I think the message we send from NATO from this summit is very clear,” he said. The declaration called on China as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to “cease all material and political support to Russia’s war effort,” including through the provision of weapons components. It also expressed concern over the country’s growing space capabilities and expanding nuclear arsenal and urged Beijing to “engage in strategic risk reduction discussions.” Beijing’s diplomatic mission to the EU responded angrily, calling on NATO to "stop hyping up the so-called China threat, and provoking confrontation and rivalry."
Biden under fire
At a gala dinner at the White House hosted by the Biden administration, the U.S. president called NATO “the greatest alliance the world has ever known,” but cautioned that it must keep moving forward to meet emerging challenges. "We cannot allow the alliance to fall behind," he said. The summit has been seen as a crucial test of Biden’s fitness to govern following a disastrous performance in his first televised debate against Republican rival Donald Trump in late June. Since then, he has come under increasing pressure from his own party to step aside in the race for November’s presidential election.
Many NATO members are anxious about the prospects of Trump returning to the Oval Office, as he has in the past talked of pulling the U.S. out of the alliance. But on Wednesday, the presumptive Republican nominee told Fox News he would not withdraw his country from the bloc while reiterating demands for NATO members to ramp up their defense spending. “I just want them to pay their bills,” he said. “We're protecting Europe. They take advantage of us very badly."
Source: Reuters, BBC, Al Jazeera, NATO
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